This week I have been trying to look positively beyond or around the current dire state of the economy, and my own intense dislike for a government that has wasted our nation's accumulated wealth, and mortgaged away our childrens' futures. We are all financially damaged by this.

We cannot always base the future on the past, but in 1989 we had a peak in property prices, followed by a trough in 1992, and we stayed in that price trough for about five years. The next peak was in 2007, so it took around ten years to move again from bottom to top. But the figures show that the average price across the nation at the 1989 peak was £62,000 - and in 2007 the average was over £160,000!

History shows that long term holding of property has been a great store of value for over 100 years, and we can logically assume that process will continue.

However it is very difficult for first time buyers to start on the ladder, and anyway many young people are opting to rent as a lifestyle choice: some 17% of properties in the South East are privately rented, and that proportion is expected to increase significantly over the next three years. Interest rates are likely to remain low and prices fairly static in this period, so landlords may be inclined to buy again.

Well maintained houses priced sensibly are selling quickly, there is a shortage of available stock locally. I mentioned in the last edition that I was putting my own house on the market and would report on progress - sale agreed within 48 hours! So that was good, but finding our next home is taking longer. Credit to the local established estate agents who achieved the sale, and to those who are keeping me up to date with available properties. As a community we are generally well served in this respect by local agents in Caterham, thank you.

Graham Hathaway works with Martin & Co, residential letting agents, 5 Godstone Road Caterham www.caterham-martinco.co.uk